Rant Rave Saturday

Mover, it’s been a while man. Lots of changes. Bought a new house, had an unexpected addition to the family a few years ago. My girls wanted me to coach their softball team, so did that for a couple of years. Got tired of the politics in my old district and started over in a new one.

Did your youngest ever play college football? I remember he was doing well in HS?

Is the Badger here the original Badger? I tried emailing him a few times the past few years but no luck.

Sneldrik Trout had a bad 2020 season but could have a good bounce back year. Good choice.

If I can only choose one present, I’ll take World Peace… and Blake Snell. CK, Buehler, Urias, Price, and May as starters. What a rotation! Convert Tony Gonsolin into a high leverage reliever. Problem solved. No need for Hendricks and the money he would cost. And if Santa gives me a second present… Mike Trout! Power RH bat we need. Second problem solved. In trade, we give them the entire Dodgers farm system. Win-win! 🙂

I want the Dodgers to win another WS and COVID-19 to go away and everyone get well again.

Poor Trojans looked pretty pathetic last night. Can’t be a big time program if you can’t win the battle in the trenches! And if you can’t recruit the big beasts. Only way SC turns it around is to hire Urban Meyer!

One present huh? Ok, I’ll bite, I want Hendrick to be Jansen;s back up. Makes the pen better. Damn, Ohio State won, but Notre Dame is losing! Beane not leaving the A’s after all.

I believe in Lux.

Everyone gets one present from AF this Christmas. What do you want? Ok Bums we know what you want but I’ll take Hendriks

I want electronic strike zones, 2 fielders on each side, infielders on the dirt, and American League style DH.

I also maybe want pitches that are 6 inches inside and above the strike zone to be declared as hit batter. Auto strike zone comes with more ability than just balls and strikes. Use it.

Let a player that is pinch hit for return to that spot in the lineup later in the game. Can’t play defense again until after they hit again. This could add offense to games.

I saw a cute clip on Twitter. I had totally forgotten that there used to be a show on during the season called The Baseball Bunch. Usually had some kids on there. But Lasorda would dress up like a Karnac character that Carson used to do on the Tonight show and do these little vignettes of players. This one was called Young At Heart and Tommy was telling the kids about having to be young at heart even if you are older to play the game. And it featured all of the players who were 39 or older at the time, including Rose, Perez, Perry, Yaz, Fergie Jenkins, Jim Kaat..just a cool thing to watch.

Another marriage! This time Will Smith and his lady got married yesterday

Enjoyed “Old Time Rock& Roll”, but my “Old Time Rock& Roll” goes back to the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s before the “British Invasion”. Any one able to name the Dodgers singing with Drysdale?

The Dodgers have a core that will keep them in the post season for years assuming Seager re-signs, Turner can run the bases without putting himself on the DL, Lux can hit and throw and Muncy doesn’t repeat the 2020 regular season. Might add that Bellinger has holes in his swing that more and more is being exploited.

I think the prudent thing to do is to remove as many of those ifs as the Dodgers can afford and as other teams are willing to make trades with the Dodgers.

I wish the Dodgers would share information about what players are doing in the off season regarding workouts and instruction.

I just realized that Dave Roberts constant smile these days is irritating. No one can be that happy all the time.

Not a fan of the limited DH. The DH is there to keep pitchers from hitting, and in this age of high priced pitchers, injury. I do not care about the strategy, most managers suck at that anyway. What I care about is not having some .079 hitting pitcher come up with 2 outs and the bases juiced. No DH after the starter leaves changes that whole World Series. Friedman wants Price to get a ring.

All I am reading says the team has not given up on Lux at all. And last year was an anomaly for everyone. Kid had the yips and let it affect his hitting. Common in young players. Contrary to what Mark said, there has been interest in Pederson by a few teams. I am not surprised at that at all. He is a pure power hitter and a lot of teams are short in that department. There was a report yesterday that some free agents who have been in contact with the Jays are openly wondering if they are going to be in Toronto this year. Kind of iffy at this point since Canada closed their border.

Found this on twitter this morning. A few of the ’63 Dodgers appeared on the Joey Bishop Show. Turns out Drysdale could carry a tune.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1340150741021822976

Of the two problems you identify with Lux, Mark, the one that bothers me more is the hitting. If he can’t get rid of the yips, you can always put him in left field. Although it’s a very small sample size, he still hasn’t shown he can hit in the majors. To me, that’s the more important stumbling block.

The Angels had a “can’t miss” prospect about 10-15 years ago named Brandon Wood. When he first came up, teams used to ask about him in trades but the Angels knew they had a great one and hung on to him. He wound up spending five years in the big leagues and although he hit great in AAA his lifetime MLB batting average was .186. I hope Lux finds a lot more success than Wood did, but some guys just hit a brick wall when they get to the big show.

I think Joc would be a great addition to the Yankees and their right handed heavy lineup. I’d rather have him than Gardner against righties

I can see Joc ending up in SF. He is from Palo Alto and his wife grew up in the East Bay. Zaidi knows him well and I think he’ll get a one year “show us what you got” deal around $7-9 million and I’m OK with that. Love Joc’s prodigious power but he has gotten a bit “thick in the hips.”

So much to consider in a short column, Mark.

Obviously the verdict is still out on Gavin Lux, but the talent is there. Steve Sax had big time throwing issues and he turned out just fine. Throwing issues can be solved, most just involve basic fundamentals. Not unusual for young players to go through some issue or the other. Andrew Friedman seems to think Lux will be fine, can’t be defined by a shortened pandemic related season. Some very good players had very bad years. Put him at second and see how he does.

Arte Moreno may make major blunders and the Angels definitely need pitching, but tearing it all down and trading Mike Trout just isn’t going to happen. The Angels need pitching. If they acquire it or develop it they have a pretty good team. They also need a big star and that’s Trout, someone who actually excites their fan base.

What exactly does reload mean?

Definitely like Andy Pages. Thanks Arte.

Guessing Joc Pederson is gone. But if the interest in him is “thin” that means he could return on a very team friendly deal. Thinking he signs elsewhere with an opportunity to play every day, something the Dodgers won’t offer. But we’ll miss his bat when the playoffs roll around.

There are two things I’m really tired of hearing. One is about elections, the other Nolan Arenado. I agree he’s not coming to the Dodgers. Time to move on.

Not having Justin Turner at third base in 2021 would be weird. Makes too much sense for Turner to continue as a Dodger. No doubt you’re right, Turner and Friedman know the numbers and length of a new deal.

The bullpen seems to be the real focus. What gems may be found in a pretty slow moving and unsettled market?

According to MLB Trade Rumors the Red and the Nationals are discussing a trade involving Eugenio Suarez. No other names have been mentioned. He could be the RH power hitter we are looking for and he’s a 3B. I don’t think we will get him but I wonder what the Reds would want for him.

I would love to see JT come back again and finish his career as a Dodger but just in case he doesn’t Suarez could be a viable option and he doesn’t turn 30 yo until mid-July.

Evolution of baseball – I liked the ideas about limiting the DH by tying it to a specific pitcher. I think this will do a lot for the strategy of the game, specifically affecting pitching changes like National League baseball. But, I’m way more interested in a rule that limits shifts. I would like to see two infielders on each side of the diamond and maybe even limit 3 players on the outfield grass. Batting averages would soar as a result of making all the infielders start the play on the dirt and infield grass. But, part of me says that baseball should adjust itself naturally as it has done in the past.

I think it’s safe to say that JT has a better chance of coming back, than replacing him with other options. I don’t think that anybody wants to give him 3 years and I don’t think he would choose a 3 year deal from another team over a two year deal with the Dodgers. But, I wouldn’t say it’s a done deal by any means.

It sure doesn’t look like Nolan is going to be here, but I sure would love for it to happen.

I lean the other way on Lux. He had a bad year as a 19 year old in single A hitting 244 and roared back the next two years hitting 324 and 347. The dude can hit, there’s no doubt about that.

I don’t agree that only 5 will make it from that group. Lux and Ruiz are already Major Leaguers. Gray, Hoese and Busch are knocking at the door so those 5 are safe bets. Pages and Cartaya are way too young to predict and Beeter and Miller haven’t even played in the minors yet. Miguel Vargas is on the fence for me. He’s done very well for his age so far, but too young to be a sure thing. So, if I had to pick 5, Gray, Lux, Ruiz, Hoese and Busch. Pages, Cartaya and Vargas are all too far off to be close to sure things and Miller and Beeter were just drafted.

Baez, Wood and Kike will not be back. You can take that to the bank. Wood has the best chance out of the bunch at returning on a minor league deal. They don’t have much room on the roster after they sign JT or his replacement and a high leverage reliever.